Archive for February, 2009

OFAH FILE: 842

February 23, 2009

To All Media For Immediate Release

Toronto Sportsmen’s Show brings conservation to the big screen T.S.S. sponsors amphitheatre in O.F.A.H./Mario Cortellucci Hunting & Fishing Heritage Centre

Visitors to the O.F.A.H./Mario Cortellucci Hunting & Fishing Heritage Centre are in for a fantastic, one-of-a-kind experience. In addition to viewing record Ontario fish, and wildlife exhibits from around the world, the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show (T.S.S.) recently announced that it will sponsor the centre’s state-of-the-art amphitheatre.

The Toronto Sportsmen’s Show Amphitheatre is certain to be a major attraction for the interactive interpretive centre, which the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.) is preparing to open at its conservation centre site in Peterborough, Ontario later this year.

“We are pleased to expand our relationship with the O.F.A.H. and Ontario’s outdoors community, and look forward to working together on this and future projects that promote and enhance the responsible use of our great outdoors,” said Canadian National Sportsmen’s Shows C.E.O., Walter Oster. The Canadian National Sportsmen’s Shows is a nonprofit organization that operates six sportsmen’s shows nationally, including two in Ontario. The Ottawa Boat & Sportsmen’s Show runs from February 26 to March 1, 2009, followed by the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show that runs from March 18 to 22, 2009.

“Fishing and hunting are a proud part of our Canadian heritage, and it is with great pride that we welcome the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show’s participation in the O.F.A.H./Mario Cortellucci Hunting and Fishing Heritage Centre,” said O.F.A.H. Executive Director, Mike Reader. “The Toronto Sportsmen’s Show Amphitheatre will help tell, in glorious, living color, the incredible conservation story of our North American fish and wildlife, and the role that hunters and anglers have played in that phenomenal success.”

The nonprofit conservation organizations have teamed up previously on a number of initiatives. The T.S.S. stepped in to help the O.F.A.H. keep the Ringwood Fish Culture Station open and the Lake Ontario Chinook salmon stocking program alive in 2006, when the Ministry of Natural Resources slated the hatchery for closure. The T.S.S. has also donated gear to TackleShare, the O.F.A.H. outreach program that loans rods and reels to novice anglers. The two organizations also partner to award the O.F.A.H./Toronto Sportsmen’s Show Fisheries Research Grant to a postgraduate student annually.

The O.F.A.H./Mario Cortellucci Hunting & Fishing Heritage Centre is so named to honor its major benefactor, philanthropist and developer, Mario Cortellucci. The centre will feature a huge live aquarium of Ontario fish, and dioramas of wildlife from all over the world.

With over 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 655 member clubs, the O.F.A.H. is the largest nonprofit, charitable, fishing, hunting and conservation-based organization in Ontario, and the voice of anglers and hunters. For more information, visit www.ofah.org.

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To request high resolution photos of the amphitheatre in progress, please contact us.

Contact:

Lezlie Goodwin
Communications Coordinator
lezlie_goodwin@ofah.org
705-748-6324 ext 270

Ray Sriubiskis
Vice President, Canadian National
Sportsmen’s Shows
ray@sportshows.ca
905-361-5235

O.F.A.H. encourages hunters to participate

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (M.N.R.) is currently undertaking a province-wide moose program review. The review has two phases, the first of which rolled out in 2008 and includedn preliminary consultations with stakeholder groups such as the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.). Phase 2 is about to get underway, with the focus of this phase on the resident moose tag draw system, and this time the M.N.R. will be seeking broad public input through a series of public meetings. The sessions will run from February through April, during which time the M.N.R. representatives will visit 26 communities. The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters urges its members and other hunters to be an active part of this process, and to share their ideas and opinions about the present system of allocating moose tags to licensed resident hunters. Here is the opportunity for moose hunters to directly influence M.N.R. moose tag decisions by attending and participating in one of these 26 sessions,” said O.F.A.H. Provincial Manager of Fish and Wildlife Services, Terry Quinney. “We are pleased that the M.N.R. is hosting these meetings in so many communities across the province in order to hear directly from moose hunters, face to face. We’ve been assured that each session has been designed to provide information on how the system is currently structured, and to seek input from the public on how to improve it. Now is the time for moose hunters to have their say and I urge them to attend a meeting.” The public meetings begin in Thunder Bay on February 23 and wrap up in Windsor on April 8, 2009. All sessions (except Toronto) will offer an open house from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by a presentation and question period from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visitors to the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show at the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, in Toronto, will have the opportunity to attend a consultation session daily (March 18 through March 22), from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The public meeting schedule is posted online at www.ontario.ca/hunting

(scroll down to moose program review). Participants are advised to confirm dates and times by checking this website. With over 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 655 member clubs, the O.F.A.H. is the largest nonprofit, charitable, fishing, hunting and conservation-based organization in Ontario, and the voice of anglers and hunters. For more information, visit www.ofah.org

Lezlie Goodwin

Communications Coordinator

lezlie_goodwin@ofah.org

705-748-6324 ext 270

The following Moose program public meeting schedule is current as of February 17, 2009

Town or City Date Location Address

Thunder Bay February 23 Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel & Suites 17 North Cumberland St.

Fort Frances February 24 Townshend Theatre 440 McIrvine Rd.

Dryden February 25 Dryden Training and Cultural Centre 100 Casimir Ave.

Red Lake area February 26 Campbell Recreation Centre 15 Mine Rd., Balmertown

Hearst March 2 Knights of Columbus, Hall A 73 9th St.

Cochrane March 3 Tim Horton Events Centre 7 Tim Horton Dr. (off Fourth St.)

Iroquois Falls March 4 Access Transit Hall 458 Union Street

Timmins area March 5 McIntyre Community Centre, Ballroom 85 McIntyre Rd., Schumacher

Sault Ste. Marie March 9 Holiday Inn Waterfront 208 St. Mary’s River Dr.

Sudbury March 10 Navy League Hall 19 Regent St. S.

North Bay March 11 Clarion Resort Pinewood Park 201 Pinewood Park Dr.

Kirkland Lake March 12 Hockey Heritage North 400 Government Rd. W.

Bancroft March 16 Bancroft Fish and Game Club 27602 Hwy. 62

Pembroke March 17 Germania Club 15 Bennett St.

Ottawa area March 18 Nepean SportsPlex 1701 Woodroffe Ave., Nepean

Toronto Daily

March 18-22

3:30-4:30 p.m.

No open house.

Toronto Sportsmen’s Show

Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place

100 Princes’ Blvd.

Kingston March 19 Royal Military College of Canada, Currie Hall 16 Valour Dr.

Windsor area March 23 Ciociaro Club 3745 North Talbot Rd., Oldcastle

London March 24 Best Western Stone Ridge Inn 6675 Burtwistle Ln.

Hamilton area March 25 Valley Park Recreation Centre 970 Paramount Dr., Stoney Creek

Owen Sound March 26 Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre 1900 3rd Ave. E.

Peterborough March 30 Evinrude Centre 911 Monaghan Rd.

Barrie March 31 Victoria Village Community Centre 146 Toronto St.

Parry Sound April 1 St. Peter’s Catholic Church Hall 52 Church St.

Wawa April 6 Michipicoten High School – Auditorium 86 MagPie Road

Nipigon April 8 Nipigon Community Centre 138 Wadsworth Dr

Ontario Family Fishing Weekend offers outdoor fun and exercise

This winter has been one for the record books in Ontario, with lots of snow and very cold temperatures. Even though it is tempting to hibernate, getting outside and connecting with nature is good exercise, great fun and a sure cure for the winter blues. Ontario Family Fishing Weekend is perfectly timed to offer families a day of winter fishing, with events planned across the province.

From Saturday, February 14, through Monday, February 16, which is Family Day in Ontario, Canadian residents can fish licence-free anywhere that the Ontario Fishing Regulations allow. To make it even easier for novice anglers, O.F.A.H. member clubs, hockey teams and a variety of other clubs and organizations are planning local fishing events.
This is the third year for the winter version of the popular Ministry of Natural Resources program, that is run by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters with help from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association. The summer version of the family fishing weekend is now in its seventeenth year.
There is still time for organizations to get involved and host an event. You can register your event free on the O.F.F.W. website, and O.F.F.W. organizers are available with some helpful tips to get you started. To view the lineup of fishing events and find out how to participate in an O.F.F.W. event, visit www.familyfishingweekend.comWith over 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 655 member clubs, the O.F.A.H. is the largest nonprofit, charitable, fishing, hunting and conservation-based organization in Ontario, and the voice of anglers and hunters. For more information, visit www.ofah.org

Chair, O.F.F.W. Committee
705-748-6324 ext 233
mark_cousins@ofah.org
Lezlie Goodwin Communications Coordinator
lezlie_goodwin@ofah.org
ext 270

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.) is pleased to announce that the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, will deliver the keynote address at the 81 st O.F.A.H. Annual General Meeting and Fish & Wildlife Conference in Mississauga. “We are delighted that Prime Minister Harper has accepted an invitation to speak at our annual conference,” said O.F.A.H. Executive Director Mike Reader. “O.F.A.H. members represent a broad crosssection of the outdoor community. We look forward to hearing from the Prime Minister on a number of key issues of interest and concern to our delegates.” The O.F.A.H. Annual General Meeting and Fish & Wildlife Conference, will be held March 19-21, 2009 at the Delta Meadowvale Resort in Mississauga, and will draw hundreds of attendees. The agenda includes a variety of speakers covering such timely issues as the provincial moose program review, hydro power, and the youth demographics of angling and hunting. The conference culminates in an awards banquet on the Saturday evening, at which the Prime Minister will speak. The Conservative platform includes  crapping the long-gun registry and overhauling Canada’s justice system, putting more police on the streets and increased security at the border. Harper believes, as do many O.F.A.H. members, that law-abiding firearms owners are not a threat to national security, and that billons of taxpayers’ dollars have been wasted on the gun registry. The Federation supports Mr. Harper’s plan to scrap the registry and redirect the money to addressing the illegal trade in firearms that is smuggling guns into the country for the sole purpose of committing crimes. This will be the second time Mr. Harper has addressed Federation members. While leader of the opposition in 2005, he delivered the keynote at the annual conference. Stephen Harper was first elected Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister in February, 2006. He was reelected for a second term in October, 2008. The 81 st  O.F.A.H. Annual General Meeting and Fish Wildlife Conference is open to the public. Delegates may register online at www.ofah.org/conference or by calling 705-748-6324 ext 230. With over 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 655 member clubs, the O.F.A.H. is the largest nonprofit, charitable, fishing, hunting and conservation-based organization in Ontario, and the voice of anglers and hunters. For more information, visit www.ofah.org 

Contact:

Greg Farrant

Manager, Government Relations

and Communications

705-748-6324 ext 236

greg_farrant@ofah.org

Lezlie Goodwin

Communications Coordinator

705-748-6324 ext 270

lezlie_goodwin@ofah.org

Private Members’ Bill a major step forward

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.) applauds the introduction of a new firearms bill by Garry Breitkreuz, M.P. Yorkton-Melville. The legislation proposes to eliminate the wasteful long gun registry and remove much of the onerous regulations associated with the act, while having no negative impact on public safety. The bill proposes a number of changes to the Firearms Act, including: 1) Elimination of the costly, badly flawed and ineffective long gun registry; 2) Streamlining the licencing system; and 3) calling for a cost/benefit of the Firearms Program every five years to ensure that Canadian taxpayers are receiving benefit for money spent. “We are strongly supportive of the legislation introduced earlier today by Garry Breitkreuz, who has worked tirelessly to help create a rational and cost effective firearms program that focuses the government’s efforts on the prevention of crime, not the over regulation of law abiding firearms owners”, said O.F.A.H. Executive Director Mike Reader. “Mr. Breitkreuz and the Harper government should be applauded for their ongoing attempts to focus the firearms debate on the real problem, the acquisition and use of illegal firearms by criminals, not the responsible use of firearms by hunters and recreational sport
shooters”. The Breitkreuz bill is the latest firearms bill introduced in Parliament that seeks to scrap the long gun registry, which has cost Canadian taxpayers almost $2 billion and been strongly criticized by the federal Auditor General for its many inefficiencies and cost overruns. Created by a former Liberal government, the long gun registry was supposed to cost $2 million and enhance public safety, neither of which was achieved. “Over the last few years, public opinion polls have made it clear that a majority of Canadians believe that this badly flawed system needs to be eliminated. There have been countless examples of police chiefs, police associations and front line officers across the country who have condemned the registry, preferring instead to see the money wasted on the registry spent on more police on the street, better border security and an improved court system. The reality is that criminals, who use illegal firearms to commit crime and create havoc on the streets of our communities, don’t register firearms and aren’t impacted upon by this expensive white elephant”, said Reader. With over 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 655 member clubs, the O.F.A.H. is the largest nonprofit, charitable, fishing, hunting and conservation-based organization in Ontario, and the voice of anglers and hunters. For more information, visit www.ofah.org .

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Media Contact:

Greg Farrant Lezlie Goodwin

Manager, Government Relations Communications Coordinator

Communications (705) 748-6324 ext 270

(705) 875-0274

lezlie_goodwin@ofah.org